New Housing Options for Smith School Students

Student housing at the University of Maryland, on- and off-campus, has significantly increased in the past decade. The construction of seven apartment buildings, dubbed South Campus Commons, has given students the option of on-campus apartment living, while several privately owned off-campus complexes aimed at students have opened in recent years.

That trend is continuing with the current construction of Prince Frederick Hall, a new south campus residence hall, and the Domain at College Park, a retail-residential complex located just off-campus at the traffic circle at Campus Drive and Mowatt Lane. Both construction sites are located within a stone’s throw of the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

On-campus residence halls have been full in recent years and continue to be, despite the recent increase in student housing options, according to Cindy Felice, the associate director for south campus for the university’s Department of Resident Life.

Prior to the recent construction boom, no new on-campus housing had been constructed since the New Leonardtown complex in 1982.

Prince Frederick Hall provides students with a better ‘footprint’

Construction of Prince Frederick Hall began in summer 2012, and it is scheduled to open in fall 2014. It is located between Caroline Hall and the Mowatt Lane Parking Garage. The $66.8-million, 185,500-square-foot building will house 462 students in single, double and four-person units on seven floors.

It will be the second new campus residence hall after Oakland Hall, a North Campus dorm that opened in fall 2011.

Prince Frederick Hall is intended to replace the aging Caroline, Carroll and Wicomico Halls, which are likely to be demolished after the completion of Prince Frederick Hall, Felice said.

Renovating the three older residence halls was considered, but their “footprints” are too small, Felice said. This means the buildings don’t have enough space for all of Resident Life’s needs, which include student rooms, common space, and living and learning programs.

The university’s master plan includes plans to construct new buildings where Caroline, Carroll and Wicomico Halls are located, although it is unclear what exactly those new buildings will be, Felice said.

One of the unique aspects of Prince Frederick Hall is that it will be “gender neutral,” meaning men’s and women’s dorms will not be in separate wings on each floor. Each floor will also include a gender-neutral bathroom that can be used by any student resident, in addition to bathrooms that are for men and women only. The four-person units, dubbed “semi-suites,” will include their own bathrooms.

Felice said Resident Life is still exploring how exactly the gender-neutral housing will be implemented, and said she expects some current dorms will become gender-neutral before Prince Frederick Hall is completed. She pointed to the South Campus Commons buildings, where men’s and women’s apartments are adjacent to each other, as an example of gender-neutral housing.

The Domain at College Park is close, but off-campus

While Prince Frederick Hall is located just to the east of the Smith School, just a few feet to the northwest of the school is the construction site for the Domain at College Park. While construction crews are still preparing the foundation for Prince Frederick Hall, construction of the Domain is well underway.

The Domain is about as close to the university as possible without encroaching on campus land. Thus, it may be an interesting option for students who enroll in Smith’s masters programs, given that the university doesn’t offer on-campus housing to graduate students.

The Domain is joint venture between Houston-based developer The Hanover Co. and Denver-based real estate investment trust UDR. It will include 256 multi-family units and 10,000 square feet of retail space. The first units are expected to be ready for move-in in July 2013, with all construction expected to be completed one year later.

About the Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, MS in business, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

- Peter Haldis, MBA Candidate 2014, Smith Media Group